Tag Archives: Shereen Bhan

The following is the full text of the press release issued by Network 18 of leadership changes at the group’s flagship channel, CNBC-TV18.

This comes just a few weeks after four Forbes India editors were forced out of the group.

Insiders say there is more coming as new owner Reliance Industries (RIL) seeks to stamp its footprint. Already, the word is one top interviewer is unhappy with the renegotiation of the terms of his contract.

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PRESS RELEASE

NETWORK18 ANNOUNCES CHANGE OF GUARD AT CNBC-TV18

“Udayan steps down as Managing Editor, to continue exclusive association with CNBC-TV18 in a new role. Shereen Bhan takes charge of editorial operations from Udayan as Managing Editor”

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Udayan Mukherjee, managing editor, CNBC-TV18 has decided to step down from his full time role, after 15 years of service with the group.

The reasons for this change are entirely personal. Udayan has been facing issues of professional exhaustion and wants to devote more time to other pursuits of personal interest.

However, he will continue his exclusive association with the group, albeit in a contributory and consulting role, through a mix of events, shows and appearances, even as he relinquishes his daily responsibilities.

Shereen Bhan, executive editor, CNBC-TV18 will take over responsibility of the day to day running of the channel as its new Managing Editor from September 1, 2013.

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Speaking on this development, Raghav Bahl, founder & editor, Network18 said: “Udayan has contributed to the emergence of CNBC-TV18 as a benchmark in business news since its formative years. He has ably led the team to many successes and we wish him the very best in his new avatar at CNBC-TV18. Shereen has all the skills and experience to take this mantle forward and we look forward to her leadership”

B. Sai Kumar, group CEO, Network18 said: “Udayan has been instrumental in making CNBC-TV18 the success it is today. We thank him for his invaluable contribution and look forward to his new role with us. In Shereen we entrust the task of leading CNBC-TV18 onto new levels of growth and leadership.”

Udayan Mukherjee said: “I have had a rewarding and enriching 15 year stint with Network 18, but of late the responsibility of running the channel had become repetitive and I had a difficult time motivating myself to continue. At this stage of my life, I need to devote more of my time to other personal passions and interests. CNBC-TV18 has a very talented team in place which will ensure that the channel’s high standards are maintained in the future. I wish the new editorial leadership team the very best and will try, in my limited way, to contribute to its success”

But judging from the unabashed promotion, further promotion, continuing promotion and continuing further promotion of the book on the Network 18 platform, it would seem as if James Joyce has returned to rework, well, Balika Vadhu.

# For days before the launch of the book on August 17, senior editors across Network 18 channels burnt the midnight oil sending off invitations (and reminders) to assemble a sizeable “power” audience.

# By a happy coincidence in April, Bahl received a nice little plug on CNN-IBN‘s breakfast show following his inclusion in a book by an Australian lawyer of corporate India’s bigwigs: “Raghav Bahl among top 30 Indian businessmen.”

# In May, Forbes ran a piece by Bahl titled 2050, An economic odyssey on how India and China would reclaim their positions as economic giants, with the author intro saying the book “is forthcoming from Penguin Allen Lane.”

# In July, Bahl took part in a discussion on Karan Thapar‘s CNBC show India Tonight, with Pranab Bardhan, whose book on the India-China theme ‘Awakening giants of clay‘ was published around the same, as co-panelist.

# In August, all the network’s channels carried the book’s grand launch in Delhi, with their websites carrying Bahl’s opening remarks and the panel discussion moderated by CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai.

# Promotional advertisements on the book have crawled on screens of the network’s channels for months now. On the group’s portal in.com, an anonymous guest posted a discussion urging readers to “Kindly promote this book in institutes“.

# The day after the launch, CNN-IBN declared on its website that “the book was drawing praise from the stalwarts of India Inc and the government,” with a 1-minute, 41-second news report even exhorting viewers to get their copy in “English or Hindi”.

# Readers of the September issue of Entrepreneur, published by Network 18, received a free 48-page booklet of Bahl’s book containing another “exclusive excerpt”.

# On the network’s Hindi business channel, CNBC Awaaz, Bahl featured in a debate with Congress and BJP leaders moderated by the channel’s editor, Sanjay Pugalia.

And the book has (so far) been reviewed by The Hindu, Businessworld, and India Today, and more are forthcoming.

Nevertheless, the issue at hand is one of Bahl, Network 18 and Superpower?.

The boilerplate excuse is, if an owner cannot push his own book on his own network, what use is his ownership? A good counter question is, would any other debutant author get so much play and promotion across so many media vehicles over so many months?

It can aslo be argued that Bahl is not the first media personality to use his baby is for self-promotion.

The Hindu routinely carries news items of its editor-in-chief N.Ram‘s speeches. The Times of India is full of promotions of its various “brands”, including pictures from Vineet Jain‘s annual Holi parties. India Today and Outlook routinely sneak in pictures of this or that group event on its pages.

Yet, there is such a thing as overdose when it involves the bossman. As a first-generation media mogul, Bahl might like to pick up a lesson from ToI‘s Samir Jain or Anand Bazar Patrika‘s Aveek Sarkar, both of whom maintain a very low profile in their publications.

NDTV’s Barkha Dutt may be the first name on most aspiring journalists’ lips, but the real star of Indian television in many ways is Shereen Bhan. Smart, sharp and with a face to match, the CNBC anchor is frighteningly versatile, flipping from show to show, showering her broad smile on a a variety of subjects.

In an interview with Shifra Menezes of rediff.com, the 30-year-old air force officer’s daughter talks about life in the fast lane to stardom—and drops a few pearls of wisdom.

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That one needs to be outgoing for a career in television goes without saying. What are the other personality traits you think an aspiring TV journalist needs?

The ability to handle pressure is a must. It is a tough job, both physically and mentally taxing. You have to be on your feet for long hours and mentally alert every second. Operating in a live environment means reacting to news as it breaks, making sense of it in a few seconds and adding value in a couple of minutes.

Good communication skills, comprehensive knowledge of current affairs, writing are important as well.

What advice would you have for aspiring TV journalists?

Don’t do it for the glamour. There is nothing glamorous about it. A large chunk of a TV journalist’s job is donkey’s work. Standing around for hours to get a 20-second sound bite is about perseverance not glamour.

Be prepared to say goodbye to your social life and get ready to be on call 24×7. Ignite a fire inside you, not just to do big stories and interviews but also to do good quality work, that’s fair and honest consistently.

What do you think is the most common mistake newcomers make? What advice do you have to give them in this regard?

Wanting to taste success without doing the time — you have to be patient. You have to get your hands dirty. Don’t box yourself into roles and responsibilities. Learn to multi-task. Learn to work in a team. TV is all about teamwork.